Israel’s Coalition Clock Starts Ticking While Nordic Leaders Answer Moscow’s Phone
Israel’s election count has essentially settled into a deadlock: the pro-Netanyahu bloc has fifty-three seats, the Eisenkot-led opposition has forty-eight, and Arab parties hold nineteen. According to the Times of Israel, the Guardian and Anadolu Agency, no bloc has the sixty-one seats needed to form a government.
President Isaac Herzog will begin consultations to decide who gets the first mandate to try to build a coalition. Netanyahu has vowed to remain with his far-right and religious partners, while Eisenkot is seeking a path to “bring change.” A national-unity government has also been floated, but the route from proposals to a working majority remains unclear.
Meanwhile, Finland’s President Alexander Stubb and Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre held a rare phone call with Vladimir Putin on October twenty-seventh about efforts to pursue peace in Ukraine, saying they coordinated with Kyiv. The Kremlin also issued a readout of the call. The conversation came ahead of tentative trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi after November fourth, which would exclude European negotiators. Denmark’s Mette Frederiksen and Sweden’s Ulf Kristersson criticized the lack of broader European coordination, according to the BBC and the Guardian.
For readers, both developments are reminders that political decisions can hinge on who is included in the room, and whether enough parties can agree on a way forward. Israel’s coalition consultations and the prospects for the Abu Dhabi talks are worth watching; neither guarantees a breakthrough.
As the next updates emerge, compare accounts from multiple outlets and note what is confirmed versus still tentative. What matters most to you in these stories: the coalition negotiations, or Europe’s role in Ukraine peace efforts?
